Pretend the party season never happened with these glow-givers

If December's excesses have taken their toll, pretend the party season never happened (what cocktails??) with these brilliant, dullness-dispelling essentials. Whether it's an opalescent base to scatter light and counteract the tell-tale signs of Quality Street-withdrawal, or bronzing powders to bestow a post-holiday glow (even though you've been holed up in rain-sodden Suffolk), we've cherry-picked the best glow-giving heroes to ensure you look 'alive' instead of like you've just shrugged off a Christmas chrysalis... Let's start the new year as we mean to glow on, shall we...?

Always leading the charge when it comes to creating the world's most sought-after make up, {Charlotte Tilbury} has triumphed yet again with her incredible {Brightening Youth Glow}. A skin care confection with instant and long-term effects, this sheer, silvery veil contains colour-correcting actives, antioxidants and fortifying rosehip seed oil to help bolster skin's strength and maintain moisture levels, while magical, 'anti-shadow' pigments scatter light to guarantee a stunning 'soft focus' finish. It's effectively 'dew' in a tube - a brilliant base for your everyday make up, as well as a great way to gradually brighten dark spots, acne scars and diminish persistent redness.

A key trend for 2018, luminous 'outdoorsy' skin is about to be big news in beauty - that über-healthy, ever-envied 'glow' that comes with early-morning runs and always drinking all the water: think a baby Kate Moss meets the family von Trapp if you're still in need some sk-inspiration... A featherweight fluid, BECCA's brilliant {First Light Priming Filter} has a subtle lilac hue which helps to neutralise the sallow tones and counteract the 'greyness' that goes hand-in-hand with winter. Phenomenally dewy and enriched with spring water, hyaluronic acid and ginger, to boost moisture levels and energise cells for a plumped-up and fresh-faced effect.

If you're really in need of a luminosity leg-up, look no futher than Cover FX's clever {Custom Enhancer Drops}. Phenomenally glimmery, these molten metal liquids can be added to your day cream, blended with foundation, used to highlight or applied strategically to 'lift' a lacklustre complexion - sandwiched between skin care and your base to lend a gorgeous, lamplit radiance to faces showing signs of S.A.D... What's more, with a spectrum of colours to choose from - from cool holographics to sun-soaked bronze tones - you'll find something that's certain to suit you.

For that gorgeous, came-in-from-the-cold look, a dusting of blush is the ultimate foil for complexions that look a little worse for wear... faking that post-workout flush (without having to lift a limb). Perfectly pink and laced with iridescence to lend 'life' to lifeless skin, Benefit's cute {Dandelion Twinkle} is adorable... it's like a filter for your face, granting flattering, pinched-your-cheeks prettiness - irrespective of your skin tone.

Feeling frustratingly sun starved? Perricone MD's {No Bronzer Bronzer} is as realistic as its name implies, bestowing a beautiful, olive-toned tan to your mid-winter skin. Dispensed via pipette, just a drop blended from cheek to cheek will instantly inspire countless 'you look well!' remarks from jealous co-workers, or add a few drops of this dewy elixir to lotion or your {BB cream} to lend soft, honeyed warmth to your pasty pallor.

If you want an instant lift, look no further than RMS Beauty's be-a-oooootiful {Luminizer X Quad}, which boasts a quartet of soft, shimmering creams to exaggerate cheekbones, lend light to eyelids and help widen (and brighten!) your sleep-deprived peepers. With all four shades of best-loved {Living Luminizer} in a sleek and slimline palette, this kit is essential for all those who're keeping things 'clean' throughout 2018 (RMS has a strict 'no synthetics' stance) and will leave your skin looking ethereal *goalz*. After all, if something's good enough for Ms. Bündchen it's more than good enough for us...

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Cult Beauty is the insider’s guide to the world's best beauty products. From skin care to make up, each of the beauty products is chosen by our world-class expert panel for its efficacy and stand-alone brilliance.